It is a futile attempt to look for patterns and piéforts in the standard work of reference on modern French numismatics, the red-colored Gadoury, because the well-known author considered in 1989 this topic much too important to be dealt with merely in the appendix of his catalog. Roughly a quarter of a century after this decision was made, the authors Michel Taillard and Michael Arnaud now present their comprehensive, new standard work of reference on French patterns and piéforts.

The timeframe ranges from the Third Republic (1871-1940) to the end of the 20th century, prior to the introduction of the euro. The monograph includes all kinds of essay coins, in regard to subject, size, blank, engraving, and in addition the trial strikes that were made as piéforts. The 602 pages contain the accurate description of more than 2,000 patterns plus the prices for up to four different states of preservation. Wherever possible it was stated how many essay coins had been made.

With some marginal exceptions, every single type comes with a colored illustration at the original size. The patterns are arranged according to denomination, from the centime to the 100 francs piece. Sets are dealt with at the end of the book.

In order to get a better understanding of the minting process, the authors have placed a lavishly illustrated introduction into the production of planchets and dies as well as the technology of coining in the 20th century in front of their catalog that was written with the involvement both of Pierre Rodier, General Engraver for the French Mints and Daniel Ponce, Master Engraver at Monnaie de Paris.

Thus, this monograph is a new standard reference for anyone occupied with cataloging a collection that will make the identification of patterns and piéforts easy.

Opinions about the book:

Pierre Rodier, General Engraver for the French Mints:

“At the end, I feel obliged to thank Editions Gadoury for insisting on publishing such a special catalog that reveals a highly extraordinary character. Please not that this is the first time that a compilation of numismatic art works has been achieved with such great a devotion to details. Hence, it has been more than desirable for this catalog to come into being. In my view, many numismatists and coin dealers will be smitten with this opus, crammed full of knowledge that was hitherto inaccessible to a broader public. I would like to share with you how happy I am to have made my humble contribution to this work.”

Hubert Lariviere, Chief Mint Engraver for Monnaie de Paris:

“I think that the just published book “Essais Monétaires & Piéforts Français” will provide an answer to any question you might have about the types of coins.”

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